In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
Yesterday, my niece texted me this picture of her and my dad. And I’ll tell you, I’m really glad she sent it. You see, being way up here in Pennsylvania, sometimes, well, it seems as though life on Moose Avenue gets a little rocky. I mean, there have been times when I’ve gotten a phone call either to be a referee or to still the waters. But that seems light years away from this picture. Good night nurse, there they are, laughing and pointing, wearing their holiday sweaters, standing in front of a Christmas tree and an inflatable Santa, under the banner “Merry & Bright.” And I’ll tell you, as I looked at it, I thought, these two definitely don’t need to hear the sermon I’m preaching this morning.
You see, on this second Sunday in Advent, we’re continuing the series we started a week ago, dealing with four Christmas gifts God has given to us, each of which is represented by one of the Advent candles. And last Sunday, we started by unwrapping God’s gift of hope, you know, how it’s liberating and eternal and constant; therefore, it can shape the way we view the past and the future and the present. And this week, as y’all know, we’ve moved on to the second purple candle, the one that represents peace.
And I’ll tell you, during this time of year, man, peace is really in short supply, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve got eighteen days, for crying out loud. And even though, when it comes to decorating, we start much earlier than we did back in the day, we’ve still got a lot to do. My gosh, cookies still need to be baked and iced. And presents still need to be bought and wrapped. And if we’ve got folks coming home for the holidays, bedrooms still need to be straightened up and aired out. Let’s face it, all this business about “peace on earth, good will toward men,” well, that’s something we can look at after the crumbs have been collected and after the paper has been bagged and after the relatives have packed up their car. Yesterday, I googled “Stress at Christmas,” and this was the AI response:
Christmas stress comes from financial pressure, social obligations, unrealistic expectations, and end-of-year work, leading to overwhelm, anxiety, and fatigue, but can be managed by setting boundaries, simplifying plans, prioritizing self-care (sleep, exercise, relaxation), managing finances, and letting go of perfection to focus on what truly matters. Common symptoms include anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, poor sleep, headaches, and irritability, often fueled by social media comparison and family tensions.
Now that’s what it said, and since it’s artificial intelligence, it must be right. Let’s just say, as we deal with everything that’s going on in our lives, any sense of peace would surely seem to be elusive, at best.
And for that reason, as we get ourselves ready to celebrate the coming of Christ, I think that’s why our topic this morning is so important. You see, during this message, we’re going to focus on the two kinds of peace God has given us through Jesus Christ, the reason for the season. And for each, we’ll use some scripture to talk about what it means and how we might respond. Now that’s the plan. And even though I don’t believe it’ll make all the holiday stress go away, it just might give us a little bit of strength and focus to get us to the new year.
You see, first, through Jesus Christ, I believe we have peace with God. In other words, thanks to the Son, the tension has been eased and the barriers have come down and the gap between us and our creator has disappeared. We have peace with God. And I think that was the point Paul was making to the Romans when he wrote this:
By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God’s gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.
Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us. [Romans 5:1-11, CEV]
Now that’s what Paul wrote.
And just think about what it means. Through Jesus Christ, we’ve been reconciled with God. You see, as we talked about last week, when he was nailed to the cross, we were too. And when he died, the power of sin was broken forever. Put another way, thanks to what he did, that chasm created by sin has been bridged and the covenant relationship that we enjoyed with the Creator back in the day has been restored. Man, we’ve been reconciled with God. But even more than that, we’ve also been forgiven; therefore, we’ve been set free from the fear of being condemned. We’re no longer strangers to his mercy, because we’ve been brought into a secure and eternal relationship with him. Now that’s what peace with God is all about.
And right here and right now, we can decide to accept it. I mean, we can decide to turn from all that stuff that kept us gagged and bound before we realized that we’ve been reconciled and forgiven. We can acknowledge openly that we are recovering sinners who are loved by God. And we can shape our behavior in such a way that everybody around us can see that, for us, repentance and confession is a whole lot more than a bunch of spiritual-sounding words. Man, we can turn. And we can also decide to trust. We can trust all those promises that God made to his people in the past. And we can trust that through Jesus Christ our relationship with God has changed. And we can trust that, since we’ve been freed from the past, the Spirit is leading us into the future while offering us comfort and support and confidence right here and now. You see, because we’ve been reconciled and forgiven, we are now able to turn and to trust. But you know, that’s only possible because, through Jesus Christ, first, we have peace with God. But I’ll tell you, when it comes to the gift of peace, man, that’s only half of it.
Because, second, through Jesus Christ, we also have peace from God. In other words, we’ve been given something special, you know, on the inside, that offers a sense of serenity and of tranquility and of contentment that doesn’t depend on what’s happening on the outside. And I believe this incredible gift is grounded in the words of Jesus himself when he said this to his disciples:
I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.
I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn’t like the peace this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.
You have already heard me say I am going and I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.
I am telling you this before I leave, so when it does happen, you will have faith in me. I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me. I obey my Father, so everyone in the world might know that I love him. [John 14:25-31, CEV]
Now that’s what he said. That’s what he promised.
And I’ll tell you, I think that promise was fulfilled when “...he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” [John 20:22, CEV] You see, it’s through this Spirit that we have a presence that we carry around with us all the time: a presence that reminds us that no matter where we go or what we do, we’re never alone and a presence that can keep us moving forward even when we feel too tired to take another step and a presence that can calm us down when everything around us seems chaotic and confused. But more than just that, we also have a power: a power to move forward rather than to step back and a power to speak up rather than to shut down and a power drawing us together rather than tearing us apart. Now I believe this presence and this power is at the very core of the peace we receive from God.
And I’ll tell you, because it is, I mean, because this is what God has given each and everyone here this morning, I think we can claim it by doing two things. You see, on one hand we can choose to remain, you know, remain in his presence. In other words, to receive this peace from God, we can pray and we can meditate on his words and we can muster up the courage to come to Jesus with all our problems and pain, our trials and troubles, our frustrations. Man, this we can do because of what he said to his disciples: “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30, CEV] You see, if we want to feel the kind of peace that comes from God, on one hand, we really need to stay close to Jesus. But on the other hand, I think we must also decide to follow, to follow his example. I mean, I think it’s ridiculous to assume that we’re going to experience any kind of Godly peace, if we refuse to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, if we refuse to welcome the stranger and clothe the naked, if we refuse to care for the sick and comfort the prisoner. My gosh, how can we expect peace from God, if we knowingly refuse to do what he told us to do? In other words, when Jesus said, “You must love [God] with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these,” [Mark 12:30-31, CEV] I think he meant it. And, in my opinion, so should we, because it was through Jesus Christ that we have peace from God. And that’s the second kind of peace we’ve been given.
Now, do you remember that picture I showed you at the very beginning of the sermon, you know, the one with my dad and my niece looking so happy and relaxed. Of course, underneath the picture, Charle, my niece, wrote, “Playing with AI.” In other words, it’s not real. Of course, I must admit, I smelled a rat anyway. I mean, that is clearly not my dad’s house, because he’d never buy an inflatable Santa. And even my mother wouldn’t have gotten him to wear a Rudolph sweater. And let’s get real, we’ve only got eighteen days left for crying out loud. Nobody should be that Holly Jolly happy with all the stuff that has to be done. No, I think peace is a premium there, just like it is here.
And for that reason, on this second Sunday in Advent, I think it’s important to remember that right here, through Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. We’ve been reconciled and forgiven, something we can accept by turning and by trusting. And right now, through Jesus Christ, we also have peace from God. We have a presence and a power that we can claim by remaining and by following. Now, for me, that’s what we receive when we unwrap the gift of peace.
As a kid, unwrapping Christmas presents is one of the highlights of the entire year. Even for adults, the mystery of what’s beneath the paper is still exciting. But we don’t want to forget that not all our gifts can be found under the tree. During the Sundays before Christmas, we’re going to focus on how we might unwrap four other gifts of Christmas that we’ve received from God himself:
In the series, Rooted in Christ: A Journey through Colossians, we're journeying through Paul's letter to the Colossians, discovering how to plant our lives firmly in Christ—the one who holds all things together. In seven services, we’ll explore how we might become rooted in his grace and love as we live our lives. We’ll cover the following:
Rooted in Freedom (Colossians 2:20 – 3:11) - July 20
Rooted in Fellowship (Colossians 3:12 – 4:1) - July 27
Rooted in Witness (Colossians 4:2-18) - August 3
On Sunday, June 22, we continued the series by looking at Colossians 1:15-23 and discussed how our faith can be rooted in peace. Below is a video of the service, the podcast of the sermon, some pictures of the children singing, and the service bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.
In the series, Rooted in Christ: A Journey through Colossians, we're journeying through Paul's letter to the Colossians, discovering how to plant our lives firmly in Christ—the one who holds all things together. In seven services, we’ll explore how we might become rooted in his grace and love as we live our lives. We’ll cover the following:
Now y’all may not realize it, but we’ve already reached the fourth Sunday in June. And that means, we’ve almost hit the mid-point of 2025. Of course, we entered summer last week. And later this afternoon, the temperature will be pushing the mid-eighties. And I’ll tell you, when I think about it, man, it makes my head spin. I mean, where has time gone? Good night nurse, it seems like only a few weeks ago that I was taking down Christmas decorations and trudging through snow walking Coco Chanel and worrying about blowing it on both Valentine’s Day and Debbie’s birthday...again. And now, here we are, with VBS in the rearview mirror and the church picnic coming up next week and the second message in the series we kicked off the Sunday after Pentecost on deck this morning.
Now just in case you weren’t here last week, we started a series entitled Rooted in Christ: a Journey Through Colossians. You see, in the course of seven Sundays, we’ll be using this particular letter of Paul to figure out how we might plant our lives firmly in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. And last week, we talked about how, if that’s our goal, we can be rooted in prayer by doing what Paul did, you know, like thanking God for what he’s already given and by also asking him to help us grow. And this week, we’re going to move forward in the letter and consider how we might become rooted in peace.
And I’m thinking that’s just the kind of message that every adult who was involved in Vacation Bible School probably needs to hear, because I’ve got to tell you, this church was anything but peaceful on Thursday and Friday, and trust me, this is coming from Rawhide McSpur himself. Let’s just say a lot of stuff has been going on around here the last week or so. Of course, if we broaden our vision a little bit, well, experiencing a lack of peace seems more the rule than the exception now-a-days. And you know, it doesn’t matter if we’re looking to the outside or within, there’s not a lot of peace in our world or in our nation or even in our own lives: not with war in Ukraine and Gaza and Iran, and not with protests and assassinations and tariffs and certainly not with bad backs and mysterious growths and increasing dementia that’s dulling a mind that was once razor sharp. And these are just a few things stirring the pot, creating the confusion, feeding the chaos. And you know, given a few minutes, I think we could all come up with our own list of stuff that’s compromising our peace.
And I’ll tell you, for that reason, I think what Paul wrote to the Colossians is as applicable for us as it was for them. And so, that’s what we’re looking at this morning. You see, during this abbreviated message, we’ll consider how God can be a source of peace. As a matter of fact, we’ll focus on three decisions we can make that I believe will ground us in peace as we navigate through what often seems like a pretty chaotic world. And like I said, I think it’s all in what Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae.
For example, first, I believe we can become rooted in peace when we recognize who Jesus was. In other words, when we understand who he was and what he came to do, I think it’ll be easier for us to wade through the muck. And like I said, it’s right here in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I mean, just listen to what he wrote:
Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God’s Son,
and everything was made
for him.
God’s Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God. [Colossians 1:15-20, CEV]
Now that’s what Paul wrote.
And just think about what it means and how it might offer us some peace. You see, according to Paul, Jesus was the one who created, who created all things; therefore, when we recognize that, even though there may seem to be chaos and confusion all over the place, man, it makes it a whole lot easier to feel peace when we believe that, in spite of what we might think or feel, there’s order in our world. There’s structure in what Jesus made. There’s a reason for all things and all people. Jesus created it all. But that wasn’t all he did, because he was also the one who was raised, in fact, the first one to be raised from death; which means there’s purpose for the future, and that’s something else we can recognize. In other words, we’re not traveling blind into the unknown. We’re not wandering around in the dark. Instead, we can trust, we can believe, we can have faith that just like his tomb was empty on that Easter morning, one day, ours will be too, and this can give us peace. You see, Jesus was raised. But even that’s not all, because we can also recognize that he was the one who died, the one who was crucified, my gosh, the one who was hung on a cross to save the men who drove the nails; and because of his death, we can experience freedom from the past. I mean, all our sins, all our mistakes, all our weaknesses were nailed to the cross with him and we died, so that we might live, live with possibilities, live with freedom, live with peace. You see, for Paul, that’s who Jesus was, and when we recognize it, man, we can feel peace.
But that’s not all, because second, we also can be rooted in peace when we acknowledge what God has done, and I’m talking about what he did without our permission and without our help. And I think that’s exactly what Paul had in mind when he continued his letter. He wrote,
You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. [Colossian 1:21-22, CEV]
In other words, it was God who was in control and who initiated this whole peace business. You see, it was God who saw that we were drifting away. And it was God who saw that we’d come to a point where we assumed that we didn’t need anything above or beyond ourselves. And it was God who saw that, as a result, we’d started to confuse what’s right with what’s comfortable and what’s popular and what’s easy. Now that’s what God saw, and yet, he still sent his son to live and to die. And he still made peace with us. And he still gives us the opportunity to stand before him, because, in spite of ourselves, he regards us as holy and faultless and innocent. Whether we like it or believe it or even want it, this is what God has done. And when we acknowledge it, even though we may be in the middle of a whole bunch of turmoil and strife and even doubt, we can trust that, brothers and sisters, it’s not about us. It never was. Instead, it’s all about him. Now, for Paul, that’s what God has done, and when we acknowledge it, we’re going to feel peace.
And third, we can be rooted in genuine peace when we accept how we might respond, or maybe better, when we accept that, based on who Jesus is and what God has done, we’ve been given a way to express our thanks and gratitude and praise. It’s like Paul wrote to the Colossians:
But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message. [Colossians 1:23, CEV]
Now that’s what he said and just think about what it means. Right here and now, God has given us the opportunity to trust, the opportunity to believe, the opportunity to have faith in the one who created the universe and who continues to restrain the chaos and who will bring all things to a destiny that’s already present in the eternal mind of God. And he’s given us the opportunity to hope, to feel confident that death doesn’t have the final word and that life lies on the other side and that all this is grounded in the one who loved us before he created the universe and will love us after time has lost its meaning. And he’s given us the opportunity to share with everyone around us the reason for the trust and the hope we now have. And I’ll tell you, when we decide to accept this reality, to accept this work, to accept that we’ve been called to get up and to begin share the good news of Jesus Christ, and I’m talking about through the words we say and the work we do, man, we’re going to feel peace, and I’m talking about the peace that comes from knowing that, despite all those things that try to compromise us, right here and right now, we have the chance to come together as the people of God and to participant in something greater than ourselves. Now, for Paul, that’s exactly how we might respond, and when we accept it, we’re going to feel peace.
Now, even though there were times when it seemed to be going off the rails, I think our Vacation Bible School was wonderful. But for as good as it was, I don’t think that Paula and our Christian Education team and all those folks who volunteered their time, talents and money to make it happen, I don’t think they’re planning to do the same sort of thing next week or even next month. Am I right? No, we won’t be saying “Yee-Haw” or “Ahoy There” or even “Poo-yie” for another year or so. That turmoil will have to wait. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean that our world and our nation and even our lives will suddenly become peaceful. Chaos and confusion just plain happens, and when it does, sometimes all a person can do is to shout out what they say down in New Orleans when you’re surprised or excited or frustrated: Poo-yie.
But, you know, we may have a better option. You see, according to what Paul wrote to the Colossians, we can recognize who Christ was. And we can acknowledge what God has done. And we can accept how we might respond. And I’ll tell you, when we do, even though there may still be insanity all around us, we just might find ourselves, rooted in peace.
During the Summer, the adults of Sligo Presbyterian Church will discuss the the righteous reign of God, on Sunday mornings, beginning at 9:00 a.m. We'll follow the schedule below:
July 2 - Peace to the Nations (Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17)
Jesus Envisions the Kingdom
July 9 - The Kingdom Has Come Upon You (Matthew 12:22-32)
July 16 - The Sower and the Seed (Matthew 13:1-9,18-23)
July 23 - The Weeds Among the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
July 30 - Finding and Gathering (Matthew 13:44-52)
God’s Eternal Reign
Aug. 6 - Inheriting the Kingdom (Galatians 5:13-26)
Aug. 13 - The Nature of the Kingdom (Romans l4:10-23)
Aug. 20 - Judgment in the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 4:1-6,17-21)
Aug. 27 - God’s Kingdom Will Be All in All (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
During our third meeting, we used Zechariah 9:9-13, 16-17 to discuss how God will bring peace to the nations. Below is a recording of our discussion and the scripture we used.
Zechariah 9:9-13 [New International Version]
The Coming of Zion’s King
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[a] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,
and make you like a warrior’s sword.
16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day
There are many words and images that we associate with Easter, both secular and sacred. During the Sundays leading up to Easter, we'll focus on seven words that the Apostle Paul used when he described the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. We'll consider the following:
During the third service in this series, we used Romans 5:1-11 to consider the word PEACE. Below is a video of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.
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